Scars Revealed
by Annia Lee
Summary: What happens at family day when Mal tries to walk away from a confrontation, and Audrey ends up revealing a painful secret to all of Auradon.
1. Chapter 1

This story takes place during family day, beginning with Mal's meeting with Sleeping Beauty's mother. Audrey and her Grammy are not happy that Mal is allowed in Auradon. I have not watched the movies religiously, so some of my facts may be a bit off. But hey, this is fan fiction and I can play with the characters as much as I like as long as I put them back in the box when I'm done. I'm not creative enough to create a whole world on my own, I just play in someone else's sandbox now and again. The rating is for a description of past violence.

Audrey and her Grammy confronted Mal, accusing her of being a fake and putting all of Auradon in danger simply by existing. Mal chose to turn and start walking away, rather than answer the girl's bitter words in kind, but Audrey would have none of this. She reached out and grabbed Mal's ever present jacket and pulled it off, ripping it slightly in the process. Mal was thrown to the ground by the force of the assault and sat there with her back bowed forward in a pose approaching a fetal position. This exposed her back for everyone to see, and the horror it revealed caused absolute silence.

Two raised scars ran down her back on either side of her spine, disappearing below the back of her dress. The scar tissue was malformed and rough, pulling with every movement of her back. Mal didn't bother to cover her scars, because the damage had already been done. Mal looked up at Audrey and said wearily, "are you happy now?"

Ben rushed over and put his jacket over Mal's back before looking at her tenderly and asking, "are you okay?"

"Not really," Mal half laughed, "maybe now people will believe that growing up on the isle was no picnic."

Mal grimaced and breathed heavily for a few moments before relaxing in Ben's arms. Jay's hand rested on her shoulder protectively, as if daring anyone other than Ben to approach. Evie knelt down at her side and started whispering in her ear too softly for Ben to hear.

Mal slowly stood up, with Jay's help, and turned to face Audrey and her Queen Leah. Audrey stood in shocked silence, but her Grammy looked disgusted. "What did you do to yourself? If you're trying to garner sympathy and throw us off our guard, it won't work."

Mal looked up and started speaking softly but clearly. "My mother had a kingdom once, and she was happy to rule over her small land, but your father decided that he wanted everything. Your husband stole my mother's wings to become king, and you were the prize for her defeat." Queen Leah started shifting uncomfortably, but Mal continued, her voice growing louder as she spoke. "Your husband turned my mother into a bitter, jealous, vicious woman, who can't stand being subservient or inferior to anyone. You forget that I am half fairy, but my mother wouldn't have me rivaling her power. If she couldn't have wings…" There was a pregnant pause before spitting out at the top of her lungs, "then neither could I."

There was an audible gasp from their unwitting audience, and tender hearts burned with a fire to help this young girl, who was a victim of her circumstances. King Adam and Queen Belle felt like they had been punched in the gut. This was NOT what they had intended when they exiled the villains to the island. They never thought that the villains would have children in the first place, conveniently forgetting that options for entertainment on the isle were few, or that they would mistreat their own flesh and blood.

Evie looked at Ben sadly, "not every hero is lily white."

"And you of all people should know that both heroes and villains are made, not born." Chimed in Jay, as he looked straight at King Adam.

Jay and Ben steadied Mal when she suddenly cried out in pain. Bens jacket slipped and the skin on her back started to ripple, as if there was something living under the surface trying to find a way out. "Not again," breathed Jay, as he helped to lower Mal back to the ground.

Evie rushed over and started whispering in her ear, a little louder this time. "Oh Mal, sweetie, are you okay? You've been hiding the pain haven't you. Are they ready to erupt again?" Mal simply nodded, panting through her evident pain.

Carlos spoke up in a panicked tone, "they can't be coming again, it's only been six months". He eyed the people around him as he kept his voice low.

Ben looked confused, not understanding the conversation around him. Clearly, he was missing a few details, but he knew one thing. Mal touched something in his heart that had never been touched before, and he was not going to leave her when she needed him. Mal continued to cling to him as she arched her back in apparent pain. She looked him in the eye and said, "I'm sorry, I'm about to make a mess."

"None of this is your fault," he said. "What you went through was horrible, but breaking up the party did not cause a mess."

Mal looked him straight in the eyes, seeming to skewer him in place as she panted out. "No, I am literally about to make a mess." With those words, she closed her eyes and let go of Ben, her back bowing in pain. Blue fire engulfed her torso and two large purple wings burst out of her back, sending pieces of flesh and blood splattering out behind her. If the situation wasn't so serious, Ben would have appreciated the fact that Audrey and her Grammy were coved in the goo. The fire dissipated quickly as Mal sagged forward into his arms and lost consciousness.

Queen Leah recovered herself quickly. "Clearly the girl is lying, fairy wings don't grow back, much less in such a dramatic fashion. She is putting on a show for pity." She turned to Fairy Godmother and said, "you know, of course, that wings don't grow back."

Fairy Godmother had no wings of her own, but she was a bit of an anomaly among her brethren. It is one reason that she left the fairy kingdom for the human world; because there she was ridiculed, but here she was celebrated. She also knew that Mal's description of the incident that soured her mother to the human race was accurate, but she could not explain why Mal's wings just erupted like they had. She timidly said, "I have never heard of it happening before, but perhaps…"

Queen Leah interrupted her. "You see, even our resident fairy agrees that this is fake."

"I didn't say that," Fairy Godmother tried again. She was a bit indignant that she was being brushed off, as if being a fairy meant you weren't human, but Leah wouldn't let her finish.

"She is a liar and a poser and should be sent back to the Isle where she came from." A few of the more easily lead people in the audience started to voice agreement to Leah's sentiment, but Carlos had had enough.

"You are all idiots." The normally mild-mannered teen shouted in anger, making people pause and look at him in surprise. "You know that I am Cruella De Ville's son, that Evie's mother is the Evil Queen and that Maleficent birthed Mal, but did you ever wonder who our fathers were? Or Jay's mom?" People started shifting their feet, feeling uncomfortable. "Mal's father is the reason her wings keep regenerating, and they are doing so more quickly here, now that the magical barrier is not impeding their growth. Every time they grow back, her mother cuts them off again."

Queen Leah appeared to be unmoved. "Who is her father then," she spat, not bothering to ask about anyone else's parents.

Carlos looked at the others with a concerned and apologetic look on his face. Evie looked at Mal and shook her head. Jay then stepped forward. "Her father's identity is for her to divulge. She hasn't even told me, and we've been allies since I was five. All I know, is that her father is the reason that her wings keep growing, and we haven't pressed for details because we respect her privacy."

Ben looked at Evie, and the blue haired girl looked as if she knew more than she was saying. He caught her eye and held her gaze for a few long moments, but she shook her head slightly and looked away. Ben realized that Evie knew the identity of Mal's father, but that she would never divulge the information without the purple haired beauty's permission. He could only hope that Mal would trust him with the information one day.

This is the plot bunny that started a longer story that I am still working on, but I was feeling brave and thought that I would post this here. I've only read a handful of stories giving Mal wings, and I have yet to read one about regenerating wings. That doesn't mean that they aren't out there, but only that I haven't had the privilege of reading them.


	2. Preview: Scars Run Deep

**Preview: Scars Run Deep**

I received support for my longer story, so I have started to post it. It takes place from multiple people's points of view, which allows so much "scope for the imagination." I am posting a preview here, since several of you marked this story as "follow" and I don't want to lose you. I am posting the main story separately though, because Scars Revealed has effectively become a spoiler.

Here is the preview, and the first chapter of the main story will be posted tonight. Please let me know what you think, but unabashed flaming will be ignored. Constructive criticism will be considered, but some content decisions that don't make sense now, will do so later on in the story. I do this for fun, so I hope that it brings a smile to your day too!

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**Jay's point of view**

A little girl huddled in the shadows in the corner of an alleyway. She had tears swimming in her eyes as she clutched her wrist to her chest, but those tears did not fall. I approached her with caution, wondering if there was anything I could do. I didn't usually help people, but something about this young purple haired girl tugged on my heartstrings.

"Jay," shouted a woman in a slightly panicked tone.

"Here mother," I called, looking down at the little girl.

"Jay," my mother exclaimed, "you only just turned five years old, and are still too young to run off without me."

"But mom," I complained, "dad lets me out by myself all the time."

"Then your father and I will be having words." I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was not happy and that my dad was in trouble. This could be fun!

As mom grabbed my hand to drag me away, I pulled in the opposite direction. "Mom, you have to see what I found!"

"If it is another rotting animal then you will be grounded for a week." My mother allowed me to drag her until she saw the little girl huddled in the corner. She knelt down several feet away and began speaking softly. "Hello sweetheart, what is your name? Are you lost?"

The little girl looked up with indignation in her gaze. "I'm four years old, and I'm no sweetheart." Her flashing green eyes met my mothers and her purple hair seemed to pulse. "My name is Mal, and I will rule this Isle by the time I'm five."


End file.
